Sacked boss revealed to be at heart of Sheffield Wednesday decision that changed course of its modern history..
Some 16 months into Danny Röhl’s time at Sheffield Wednesday, the side look utterly recognisable from the one he walked into.
The German boss inherited an Owls team rock bottom of the Championship and winless in 11. They had failed to beat two League Two sides inside 90 minutes in Carabao Cup football and only one Wednesday goal had been scored in their last seven league outings. Statistically, it was the worst start to a season in Championship history.
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And how things have changed. A Röhlvolution inspired a last day survival at Sunderland and heading into the final weeks of the current campaign, Wednesday’s biggest stress as things stand centre on staying in touch with the play-off places. It’s been a truly remarkable turnaround.
The Star revealed Röhl was a prime candidate to replace Xisco soon after the Spaniard’s sacking in October 2023 after the German coach had impressed during the recruitment process the previous summer. It was also reported at the time that a mystery EFL boss was of serious consideration – though it was clear early doors that Röhl was always the prime candidate.
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Now, The Star can reveal that Luke Williams is understood to have been that mystery EFL boss. Sacked this week by Swansea City, the now 44-year-old was building a list of admirers in charge of Notts County and had been linked with several jobs higher up the pyramid.
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As it happened, Röhl was confirmed as Wednesday boss and less than three months later Williams was appointed by the Owls’ Championship colleagues Swansea City, who he led to a 14th place finish after taking over from Michael Duff in January 2024. A record of 19 wins in his 58 matches in South Wales proved not to be good enough and their horror current run of one win in 10 matches – including last week’s 1-0 home defeat to Wednesday – saw him sacked earlier this week.
The appointment served as remarkable a sliding doors moment in Wednesday’s modern history. The Owls will look to continue their stellar effort at challenging in the top half of the table when they make the trip to automatic promotion challengers Burnley on Friday evening.
